Of course, the number of hardware configurations is quite limited by the fact that those cracked OS X versions only run on hardware components that Apple already uses in its Macs.
90% of the people running cracked versions of OS X on PCs report no software problems whatsoever due to the different hardware configurations. There is a reason though that, as I have already stated above, makes me reconsider the lowering of the OS X user experience quality.
In the event that Apple would release a PC compatible version of OS X, this is the thing that most people think that will go wrong: a quick quality decrease of the user experience. The third thing that stands against you legally installing OS X on your PC in the near future is the aspect that makes the Mac what it is and the very thing that recommended the previous two as viable components of the cons department: the user experience. Also, taking into consideration the fact that a bigger user base translates into a higher variety of software running on the OS, the number of security holes will also increase, a fact that can only mean a poorer experience for the OS users.
This will automatically make it more interesting in the eyes of the people that would consider the OS X system a valuable addition to their collection of infected machines. The second place in the cons department is taken by the increase of the security and/or malware risk once OS X starts gaining market share. But, considering the huge hardware combination one could think of, the possibility is still there. A fact that made me think twice before thinking of this scenario as one of the cons. There is only one problem with this: the users that already run OS X on PC hardware have reported no such experiences. The news of the software problems and the system crashes will quickly spread around and will make all the users think twice before buying OS X and installing it on their own PC. The first con would be the higher incidence of software-hardware conflicts that will automatically ruin the user experience that made OS X famous in the first place. Now that I have covered the thing that a “born to be wild” Apple will do with OS X, let's go through those that point against such a bold move. This will, logically, lead the Cupertino-based company to release an even higher quality OS to be able to protect its profit and keep and/or expand its newly gained user base. The good news for Apple in the case of a market share increase scenario is the fact that the company will also experience quite a boost in profit. And from what I know, there are quite a lot of PC users that match these three categories.
But, what is the reason that would make OS X's market share increase in such a case?īecause it would most probably be adopted by the users already running OS X on their PCs, by the users that had enough bad experiences with the other OSes available on the market and would decide to try it for a change, and by the users that would have OS X installed by their friends or family as a “better alternative” to their current OS.
The fact is that an increase in market share is hypothetical even after making OS X ready for any hardware configuration. To be even more exact, there is only one good thing that would come out of such a scheme (and a pretty good one, if you ask me): OS X gaining a bigger chunk of market share, thus hitting its direct competitor, Windows, where it hurts the most. The thing is that, in the pros department, there are very few aspects that Apple should count on. But, just in case it will ever think about such a move, let's see what the pros and cons would be.
The question that every Mac user must have asked themselves at least once is “Should Apple make OS X available on other, custom hardware?” Should it allow the people that already run OS X on their PCs to buy the OS and legally install it on their computers? Should “Run OS X on Macs and PCs” be a part of the OS X description?Īt the moment, I wouldn't put my money on the fact that Apple will even think about such a bold move, mainly because it is already doing quite well - check the increase rate of its market share. Thus, the Cupertino-based company is capable of always delivering a top notch experience to all of its users by carefully testing and optimizing OS X for the limited number of hardware configurations available for the Mac platform. One of the things that make the Macs the (almost) perfect running machines there are is the fact that Apple keeps their hardware configuration under control.